


Babysitting

by Jodie



Category: due South
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-04
Updated: 2012-12-04
Packaged: 2017-11-20 06:16:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/582195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jodie/pseuds/Jodie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Benton and Ray babysit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babysitting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vic32](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vic32/gifts).



How he managed it, Ray couldn't imagine, but Benton looked professorial as he instructed little Gianni Vecchio in his colors and shapes.  Wielding a stubby wax crayon, Benton drew a perfectly straight-sided square. 

"This is a blue square."

"Goo Kare!" replied Gianni, affectionately patting the paper.

Exchanging crayons, Benton placed another figure beside the square.  Gianni clapped his hands.

"This is a yellow circle."

"Lello Gurble," came the enthusiastic response.

"Very good.  Would you like to hold the crayon and make a yellow circle?"

"Lello Gurble!"

The yellow crayon flew across the table, bounced off the seat cushion, and rolled under the cabinet.  Sighing, Ray gestured for Benton to stay put, and pulled the cabinet away from the wall.  He disappeared behind it for a moment, then emerged holding the crayon in one hand and a blue ball in the other.

"Huh, I didn't realize this was lost."

"Ba!"

"Please wash the ball before giving it to Gianni.  You know how Francesca feels about dirty toys."

"Yeah.  She's nuts."

"Now, Ray, while studies do show that an overly sterilized environmentally can adversely affect a child's immune system, it is also true that attention to cleanliness..."

"Here, kid, all cleaned up."

"Ba!"

The ball shot out sideways, narrowly avoiding a ceramic pitcher, before bouncing off the wall and rolling back behind the cabinet.  Gianni giggled, delighted.

"And that's how the ball got lost.  The kid's got a strong arm, but no control.  Hey, kiddo, we gotta work on your pitch so you can be a baseball star like I was."

Benton shook his head.  "Ray, you played a single game for minor league team."

"Yeah, and I KILLED it.  I didn't have to play anymore.  One game and I was a STAR."

Ray bounced on the balls of his feet, eyes twinkling, just barely suppressing laughter.  When Ray was in a playful mood, Benton just melted inside.  While Benton gazed upon the vision that was Ray's Baseball Story Brag Dance, Gianni got hold of the crayon box--from the bottom.  He jerked the box in his little fist, scattering crayons everywhere.  Both men rushed to pick up the crayons, but they were no match for Gianni.  He mashed green wax into the table top.

"Oh, dear."

As Benton assessed the mess, Ray scooped up Gianni.  The child was straining away, with arms thrust out, to get back to the fun of smashing crayons.  Ray held firm, and Gianni let out a shriek of protest.  When that didn't result in his immediate freedom, he began crying. 

"Ray, perhaps you should take him upstairs for his nap while I clean up down here."

"Yeah, ok.  Come on, kiddo."

"Watch for the crayons on the..."

CRACK

Ray looked down at the new pile of crushed wax under his boot.  His dismay was clear on his face.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it, Ray.  Just get him settled, all right?"

Ray headed off with Gianni in his arms.  Benton gathered up cleaning supplies and set to work.  He found the process of restoring order soothing, unlike the unpredictability of dealing with children.  Benton liked children, but an unhappy child made for a much messier situation and needed a very different set of skills.  He reflected that he was lucky to have Ray's help. That thought led to another.  His own mother had mostly been on her own when he was very small.  Robert Fraser has always been off on duty with the RCMP.  How had Caroline coped with the demands of a house and a baby, far from family and friends?  His father had left diaries to tell his son what it had been like for him to miss his wife and child.  He had no such documents from his mother.  Benton had no idea how she felt about her situation, and how she dealt with it. Did she resent his babyish demands, or was she glad for his company, while she waited for her husband at the fringes of Canada's frontier? 

Benton was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that a good length of time had gone by and that the crying had stopped.  It wasn't until Ray was right in front of him that Benton came out of his reverie. 

"Hey, didn't mean to take you out of the zone, there.  You do good work--I can't even tell where the mess was any more."

Looking into Benton's face, Ray became concerned.  "What's going on?  You look sad."

"Ah, it's nothing, really."

"Bull.  Talk to me."

"Being with Gianni makes me wonder about my mother.  You know that I was only six years old when I lost her, and I don't remember much.  I can't imagine how she dealt with me all on her own when I was as small as he is.  There's so much I'll never know about her."

Ray drew Benton into a firm hug.  "Your mother loved you.  She had to, because you're just plain lovable.  I'd be willing to bet that she treasured her time with you."

After several moments, they drew apart.  Benton turned and began putting the cleaning supplies away (which served the dual purpose of being a constructive activity while also hiding his teary eyes), and Ray returned the crayons and paper to the toy box.  With the house returned to order, the baby asleep, and a couple of hours to go before Francesca returned home, Ray took Benton's hand and led him to the sofa. 

"Hey, how about I show you how loveable I think you are."

"All right, Ray, if you let me return the favor."

When they were settled in among the cushions and throw pillows, Ray took Benton’s hand.  “Seriously, I think that you probably were the best thing for your Mom back then.  There she was, with your dad away all the time, nobody around…without you; she would have been so lonely.  You would have been a warm body to snuggle and talk to, but even more, you would have been, like, a symbol of the future, her creation that would go on in unforeseen ways or something.  I’m not good with words, but you know what I mean, right?”

Deeply moved, Benton rested his head on Ray’s shoulder and sighed, “You express yourself very well, Ray.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to boxofdelights for beta reading my first draft.


End file.
